Fielder Moves Closer to Home Run Record With Three More

Cecil Fielder hit three home runs for the third time in his career and increased his major league-leading total to nine as the Detroit Tigers beat the Blue Jays, 13-8, Tuesday at Toronto.

Fielder, who had five runs batted in, is two shy of the major league record for home runs in April, a mark shared by Graig Nettles, Mike Schmidt and Willie Stargell.

“I just heard about it,” Fielder said. “But I can’t worry about records. I feel good at the plate right now and if I keep swinging the bat the way I am, the hits will come.”

Fielder hit a two-run home run off Erik Hanson in the third inning as the Tigers had nine consecutive hits, one short of the American League record.

Fielder hit another two-run homer in the fourth off Giovanni Carrara and connected for a solo drive in the sixth off Bill Risley, increasing his RBI total to 19. Only four of his hits this season haven’t been homers.

“The first two were breaking balls,” Fielder said. “Hanson’s pitch wasn’t that bad. I just reached out and got it.”

Fielder, who played with the Blue Jays from 1985-88, also hit three homers at SkyDome on May 6, 1990, connecting twice off Jimmy Key and one off David Wells.

Baltimore 6, Boston 1--David Wells pitched a seven-hitter at Baltimore, and the Orioles kept Roger Clemens winless while extending the Red Sox’s losing streak to six games.

Clemens came in with a 108-42 record following a Boston loss, but fell to 0-3 for the first time in his career.

“That’s not the Roger Clemens I used to see on TV,” said Baltimore’s Tony Tarasco, who this year is playing in the American League for the first time. “When he was on a rehab assignment in triple-A in 1993, he threw harder.”

Boston is 2-11, matching its worst start in 69 years and has gone 23 innings without scoring until getting a run in the ninth.

B.J. Surhoff homered for the Orioles, whose 10-2 record is the best in the majors.

Milwaukee 6, New York 3--Kevin Seitzer hit his fourth home run, a three-run drive that capped a five-run fourth inning for the Brewers, who defeated the Yankees’ Jimmy Key at Milwaukee.

Key, continuing his comeback from last year’s rotator cuff surgery, allowed six runs and 10 hits in 3 2/3 innings.

“I got the ball up and I couldn’t get out of the last inning,” Key said. “Balls were on the corners, but they were up. Physically, I’m fine. The weather didn’t bother me. I have no excuses.”

It was Key’s shortest outing since Aug. 28, 1993, his first season with the Yankees.

Texas 5, Oakland 3--Bobby Witt struggled but allowed only three runs in six innings as the Rangers’ first five hitters scored in a victory over the Athletics at Arlington, Tex.

Witt gave up six hits, walked five and struck out only one, and Mike Henneman pitched the ninth inning for his third save.

Doug Johns fell behind, 3-0, in the first on three hits and three walks. He allowed five runs on eight hits in 4 1/3 innings and walked five.

Cleveland 7, Minnesota 2--Sandy Alomar and Kenny Lofton homered in a four-run second inning, helping Orel Hershiser to his first victory and the Indians to their fifth consecutive win at Minneapolis.

Hershiser, who lost his first two starts and came in with a 7.84 earned-run average, gave up two runs and six hits in seven innings.

“I put us behind in my two games, and my outings alone could have put us off to the rocky start,” Hershiser said. “So I’m glad to contribute now.”

Kansas City 6, Chicago 5--Tim Belcher won his first game for the Royals and Tommy Goodwin had four hits and two stolen bases at Kansas City.

Belcher, who pitched for Seattle before becoming a free agent, took a four-hit shutout into the sixth inning but gave up home runs to Ron Karkovice and Frank Thomas. Jeff Montgomery pitched two innings for his third save.